Insufficient type I IFN immunity underlies life-threatening COVID-19 pneumonia

Bastard, Paul; Zhang, Qian; Cobat, Aurélie; Jouanguy, Emmanuelle; Zhang, Shen-Ying; Abel, Laurent; Casanova, Jean-Laurent

doi:10.5802/crbiol.36

Comptes Rendus Biologies (Feb 2021)

Insufficient type I IFN immunity underlies life-threatening COVID-19 pneumonia

Bastard, Paul,
Zhang, Qian,
Cobat, Aurélie,
Jouanguy, Emmanuelle,
Zhang, Shen-Ying,
Abel, Laurent,
Casanova, Jean-Laurent

Affiliations

Bastard, Paul: Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Necker Branch, Inserm U1163, Necker Hospital for Sick Children, Paris, France; St. Giles Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Rockefeller Branch, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA; University of Paris, Imagine Institute, Paris, France
Zhang, Qian: St. Giles Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Rockefeller Branch, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
Cobat, Aurélie: Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Necker Branch, Inserm U1163, Necker Hospital for Sick Children, Paris, France; University of Paris, Imagine Institute, Paris, France
Jouanguy, Emmanuelle: Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Necker Branch, Inserm U1163, Necker Hospital for Sick Children, Paris, France; St. Giles Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Rockefeller Branch, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA; University of Paris, Imagine Institute, Paris, France
Zhang, Shen-Ying: Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Necker Branch, Inserm U1163, Necker Hospital for Sick Children, Paris, France; St. Giles Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Rockefeller Branch, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA; University of Paris, Imagine Institute, Paris, France
Abel, Laurent: Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Necker Branch, Inserm U1163, Necker Hospital for Sick Children, Paris, France; St. Giles Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Rockefeller Branch, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA; University of Paris, Imagine Institute, Paris, France
Casanova, Jean-Laurent: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, New York, NY, USA; Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Necker Branch, Inserm U1163, Necker Hospital for Sick Children, Paris, France; St. Giles Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Rockefeller Branch, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA; University of Paris, Imagine Institute, Paris, France

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5802/crbiol.36
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 344, no. 1
pp. 19 – 25

Abstract

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We established the COVID Human Genetic Effort (www.covidhge.com) to discover the human genetic and immunological bases of the vast interindividual clinical variability between humans infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). We found that about 3% of patients with life-threatening coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia were ill because of inborn errors of genes controlling type I interferon (IFN)-dependent immunity (which controls influenza virus), and at least 10% of patients with life-threatening COVID-19 pneumonia had neutralizing auto-Abs against some of the 17 individual type I IFNs. These findings indicate that impaired type I IFN immunity underlies life-threatening COVID-19 pneumonia in at least 13% of patients. These discoveries pave the way for further research into unexplained severe cases, and provide a rationale for preventing and treating the disease in individuals at risk, with recombinant type I IFNs.

Published in Comptes Rendus Biologies

ISSN: 1768-3238 (Online)
Publisher: Académie des sciences
Country of publisher: France
LCC subjects: Science: Biology (General)
Website: https://comptes-rendus.academie-sciences.fr/biologies/

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